Table 4. Cost Estimates of Maternal Complications

RN = registered nurse.

* For primary analysis, we assumed that changes in the intensity of nursing care in the labor and delivery suite (as might be required to treat hypotension) be reflected in nursing personnel costs ($40/h).

† We completed a secondary analysis that set the cost of nursing time for incremental interventions in the labor and delivery suite at $0, which assumes that nursing costs are the same regardless of the number of nursing intervention.

‡ 1 = $20 (0.5 h variable cost for RN for incremental surveillance) + $5 (disposable supplies); 2 = $20 (0.5 h variable cost for RN for incremental surveillance) + $5 (disposable supplies); 3 = $20 (0.5 h variable cost for RN for incremental surveillance) + $5 (disposable supplies); 4 = $60 (1.5 h variable cost for RN for more intensive follow-up of fever) + $55 (disposable supplies); 5 = $40 (incremental nursing care) + $25 (incremental supplies for neonatal resuscitation) + $70 (incremental professional fee for physician); 6 = $32 (kit) + $200 (cost of anesthesiologist’s time) + $285 (patient ward 0.25 day cost) (the cost analysis is performed from society’s perspective; this means that even if there is no charge sent to the patient [for treatment of postdural puncture headache], there still is a cost to society of physician time and expertise, which could be used for something else, if, e.g., they were not treating the postdural puncture headache); 7 = $27,353 (hospital cost [TSI data] for 16-day hospital stay) + $4,000 (8 weeks lost productivity/wages); 8 = $160 (additional anesthetic professional fees [1 h]) + $570 (0.5 day extra patient ward cost for resolution of spinal block); 9 = $280 (neurologist’s professional fee) + $1,140 (1.0 day patient ward) + $500 (1 week lost productivity); 10 = $27,353 (hospital cost [Transition Systems Inc. data] for 16-day hospital stay) + $4,000 (8 weeks lost productivity/wages); 11 = $114 (0.1 day extra patient ward care); 12 = $114 (0.1 day ward care, includes 1 h of RN time at $40/h) + $20 (catherization supplies); 13 = $5 (supplies) + $40 (1.0-h incremental nurse care); 14 = $832 (incremental 0.75 day patient ward); 15 = $1,000,000 = $750,000 (30 yr at 25,000/yr lost wages) + $250,000 (medical costs); 16 = $4,300 (intensive care unit for 2.0 days) + $5,700 (5-day hospital stay) + $1,900 (physician consultant, 2 days) + $4,000 (lost productivity/wages for 8 weeks); 17 = $40 (1.0 h variable cost for RN) + $10 (disposable supplies); 18 = $10 (variable cost of intravenous pump-cartridge + drugs) + $15 (disposable supplies) + $20 (0.5 h RN variable cost); 19 = $40 (1.0 h RN variable cost) + $100 (disposable supplies); 20 = $1,140 (1.0 additional ward day).